The present invention relates to backhoes and, more particularly to a stabilizing leg for excavators equipped with an articulated swing arm fitted movably to the rear of the vehicle; to which application the following description refers purely by way of example.
As is known, some currently marketed excavators comprise an articulated swing arm fitted movably to a supporting frame fixed to the rear of the vehicle.
The supporting frame is normally horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and is provided at the ends with two stabilizing legs, which are set selectively on the ground underneath to prevent any undesired movement of the vehicle when operating the arm.
The two stabilizing legs are set perpendicular to the ground underneath, and currently comprise a tubular, rectangular-section outer member rigidly integral with the supporting frame of the articulated swing arm; a rectangular-section stabilizer rod connected telescopically to the tubular outer member; and a hydraulic jack for selectively moving the stabilizer rod axially between a withdrawn position almost entirely housed inside the tubular outer member, and an extracted position in which the bottom end of the stabilizer rod rests on the ground underneath.
The two stabilizing legs also comprise means for adjusting the clearance between the tubular outer member and the stabilizer rod.
Currently known clearance adjusting means are defined by two adjusting pads fitted through two contiguous lateral walls of the tubular outer member so that one end of each rests on a respective outer lateral surface of the stabilizer rod.
More specifically, the two adjusting pads are positioned resting on two perpendicular outer lateral surfaces of the stabilizer rod, and are each defined by a member made of self-lubricating material and fitted inside a corresponding through hole in the lateral wall of the tubular outer member. More specifically, each member has a flat surface which rests on the outer lateral surface of the stabilizer rod in such a way as not to prevent the stabilizer rod from sliding inside the tubular outer member.
A major drawback of currently known stabilizing legs lies in the clearance adjusting means, which are not very practical or accurate, and fail to provide for fast precise adjustment of the clearance between each outer lateral surface of the stabilizer rod and the corresponding inner lateral surface of the tubular outer member. Adjustment in fact is made by moving both adjusting pads back or forth with no certainty as to how far the ends of the two pads project inside the tubular outer member.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stabilizing leg for a backhoe that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided a stabilizing leg for work vehicles, the stabilizing leg comprising a tubular outer member; a stabilizer rod connected telescopically to said tubular outer member; and clearance adjusting means for adjusting the clearance between said tubular outer member and said stabilizer rod; said stabilizing leg being characterized in that said clearance adjusting means comprise at least one adjusting pad fitted to the tubular outer member so as to rest on an edge between two contiguous outer lateral surfaces of said stabilizer rod.
These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a stabilizing leg for a backhoe is formed with a tubular outer member, a stabilizer rod connected telescopically to the tubular outer member, and a clearance adjusting mechanism for adjusting the clearance between the tubular outer member and the stabilizer rod. The clearance adjusting mechanism is provided with at least one adjusting pad fitted to the tubular outer member so as to rest on an edge between two contiguous outer lateral surfaces of the stabilizer rod.